Terror Through Time Pt3
by Phoenix Ride
Summary: Finale of the Terror Through Time series! Raphael awakes in the horrible future, seeking answers to a past chaos that goes a lot deeper than he thinks. Learn the truth about the Crimelord, and why the future is suck a wreck. Will Raphael be able to find his answers and escape back to past in order to change his fate? Find Out! Please Read, Review, and Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1: A Ruined World

**Terror Through Time Pt.3**

**By: Phoenix Ride**

**Ch.1: A Ruined World**

Deep in the ruins of a burning wasteland, the King sat upon his pointed throne, overlooking the chaos that was his land, and swinging around his scepter making the glowing orb that adorned it shine with the presence of his power. His wait in the Underworld had been well rewarded, for now he ruled over the Earth with an iron claw, all thanks to a wish that had occurred years before.

"My son has paid back his debt well" said the King " and soon the Savoir shall arrive. He who released my son, come and let us meet, before I sentence you to die,"

With that said, the Earth seemed to tremble, and the red skies above the ruins of the city blazed with light, forming a portal just opening its maw.

"He has arrived" said the King " Come find me Raphael,"

* * *

"Waahh!" cried Raphael, as he dropped from the portal and landed harshly on the ground " Man, that hurts! Where…where am I?"

Looking around, the red-masked turtle saw from the familiar structures of the ruined buildings around him, that he was most definitely in New York, but not the same city that he had left. Dark, thorny vines covered nearly every square inch of the town, and the blazing red sky from where he dropped didn't hold a sun or moon within its void.

The clouds were black and thick, and the silence that crowded the normally busy streets only added to the eerie feeling already in the air.

Thinking hard about his situation, Raphael thought back on the events that could have possibly made him get sent here. Last thing he remembered, he had been trying to take out his dark future self, Crimelord, to prevent the world from becoming like the horrible sight before him. Needless to say, it didn't go well and he lost the fight. Could the future be where he was right now? Was this destined to be his timeline?

Curious, Raphael decided to take a look around, and observe what had changed, inwardly gripping himself for the inventible horrors that were no doubt destined to occur. Nervously, his hands twiddled across his belt, noting that the sais were missing from their sheaths. If any monster or creature jumped out of him, Raph would have no choice but defend with just his hands. Not a very popular option, but in this instance he couldn't complain.

"Wow" said Raphael, as he walked around " looks like New York has definitely seen better days. Where is everyone? Seeing New York without people is like seeing a pizza without cheese!"

Indeed it was a very strange sight. No cars were driving up and down streets. No people were chatting, moving from place to place on whatever they had planned for that specific day. The whole city was a total dead zone, an empty shell of its former self. A ghost town. It shook Raph to the core, especially when his eyes caught sight of an all too familiar building.

"Please don't tell me that that is Channel 6?" said Raph in shock " Boy, this is almost as bad as the nightmare in Shredderville! April? Irma? Are you guys inside?"

Raphael shouted out all these questions as he ran inside of the Channel 6 ruins, observing the shattered lobby, and more black vines on the floor. The globe statue that sat in the center of the lobby was ripped in half. Papers lay flung out across the floor, and the stairs and elevator seemed no longer in use.

"What's this?" asked Raph, looking downward, noticing a large groove in the floor where his foot kicked a stray piece of paper away.

Shifting away some more papers, Raphael discovered that there were more grooves, as if some giant beast had clawed its way through the cement. What was weird is that some these claw marks seemed to form a symbol, of Japanese origin that for some reason Raphael felt he should know. But, before the red-masked turtle could even figure out this mystery, growls emerged and he peered around with fright.

"Man, I wish I had a weapon," thought Raphael, as the growls continued to grow around him.

Eyes were now appearing in the shadows as slowly, inch by inch, these hideous beasts finally decided to step out into the light. Every nerve inside of Raphael's body was screaming for the turtle to retreat, but surrounded as he was, there was nowhere to go.

"Looks like it ends here." thought Raph, preparing for the doom that was inevitably to come.

Just then, a miracle arrived in a charge of what sounded like a rebel scream, as Casey Jones suddenly jumped down from the top of the ruins, scaring Raphael, and then began to brutally assault the hoard of demons with his hockey stick.

Another yell came to join him, making Raph turn around to see a clearly older Michaelanglo beating up the creatures just as mercilessly with his nunchucks. Raphael stared almost stupefied at the scene playing out before him, and when all the action was final over when Casey Jones delivered a final whack, he still couldn't believe his eyes.

"Casey! Mikey! Am I glad o see you guys," shouted Raphael, running up to greet them.

The reaction he received was definitely not what he was expecting, as Michaelanglo just knocked him away as he was coming in for hug, pinning him with his foot, and then holding a nunchuck to his throat.

"Ow!" groaned Raph " Mikey it's me!"

"Raph?" said Mikey confused, as if he had just noticed it was his brother.

"In the flesh" said Raph, standing up as soon as the foot moved, and brushed the dust off his arms " Mikey, what the heck happened here? Please tell me this just a nightmare and that soon I'll wake up,"

"'Fraid not dude" said Mikey solemnly "We thought you were dead. This is the future bro. The bleak, horrible future,"


	2. Chapter 2: Menace of Chu-lan

**Ch.2: Menace of Chu-Lan**

"Mikey what happened?" asked Raph moments later as he followed both Mikey and Casey through the ruins of New York City. The town seemed to be even more depressing than before.

"Well" said Mikey, kind of reluctant to explain " it kind of started like this…"

* * *

**(FlashBack)**

"_Hahaha" laughed the demon, a sinister grin on grotesque face " recognize me now witch?"_

"_Chu-lan," stated Splinter's witch friend._

"_Ch-who?" asked Leo, looking for an explanation._

"_No time!" said the witch, motioning for everyone to run "We must go! Now!"_

_Running away fast, the turtles and villains followed the witch's lead, dodging through filthy alley streets in attempt to escape the unspeakable horror behind them._

"_The transport module!" Shredder cried, spotting the vehicle where they left._

"_Quick!" said Krang " Get in you fools!"_

_With that said, the villains all piled into the metal and dug their way back to the Technodrome abandoning the turtles in their flight._

"_It's just no good keeping company these days," said Donatello._

"_This way!" said Splinter, running down another street, then turning quick into a warehouse._

_Fire erupting from behind them, Mikey, Don, Leo, and the witch followed the rat's lead, barely avoiding the claws of death swinging a mere foot from their mark. Safely sheltered in the shadows of the room, silence placed its grip on everyone's tongue, hiding the spark of breath that was sure to give their position away._

_The sound of huge claws scraped on by, followed by the raspy breaths of demon fire. Orange eyes peered through the upper windows of the warehouse, lighting up the room with an eerie glow. There was so much light, that for a moment, Leo feared they would be exposed._

"_Why run and hide Bruja?" said Chu-lan's voice " We used to be great foes. We clashed in Mexico, then in Japan. I owe you at least some repayment for my years of suffering, just like I owed the one who freed me his wish,"_

_With that, the light disappeared and the demon moved on, leaving them back in darkness. Letting out sighs of relief, the turtles and Splinter gathered near the center of the warehouse floor, where Bruja sat trembling in near terror._

"_Bruja" said Splinter, looking at his witch friend " so that is your true name?"_

"_It was my name once" said the witch, turning her shining blue eyes towards Splinter " I grew up in Mexico, heir to a legacy of witches, and battled against Diablo to repair a horrible mistake. He was beaten with the help of my family, but once he was banished, I had to leave as well,"_

"_I went to Japan to study, where I would eventually meet you Yoshi. You helped me gain more confidence in my magic, before you were forced to go to America. I missed you so much that day my friend. You even gave me my new name, Hana."_

"_Eventually I encountered Diablo again, only this time he had changed his name to Chu-lan, entity of dark chaos. That time I managed to defeat him on my own, but it wasn't easy, and almost all my power my drained. I sealed in a prison I thought would be safe, but it turns out I was wrong. Someone has broken the seal, and now he walks again,"_

"_Who could have broken the seal?" said Don "And what was all that talk about a wish?"_

"_When a demon is freed" said Hana " they must grant whoever freed them one wish, and sometimes that wish can go wrong,"_

"_Well" said Leo " whoever freed Chu-lan, we don't have time to wonder. I say we seal this demon away again, this time for good,"_

**(End FlashBack)**

* * *

"Of course you see" said Mikey, back in the current time " we weren't able to stop him,"

"That's sad," said Raph, wondering just what horrors his brothers had been through.

"We're here," said Casey, opening up an old, broken warehouse door.

Stepping inside, Raphael looked around to see a messy version of chemical lab, with its purple-banded caretaker hunching over of its samples with determination set in his eyes.

"Donatello," asked Raph cautiously, making the turtle glance up towards him.

"Raphael?" asked Don in amaze, at seeing his long thought dead brother.

Running out like a madman, Don immediately grasped his arms around Raphael's chest squeezing the stunned, red-masked turtle so hard that he could hardly breathe in the excitement. Breaking out from the hug, Raphael stepped back from his brother and nearly gasped in shock seeing the scars and bruises and Donnie's arms and legs.

"Donnie" said Raph, stumbling to speak "what happened to you?"

Before Donnie could answer, another voice broke out of the silence.

"It's good to see you again Raphael," said Leo, walking out of the shadows.

"Leo" said Raph, looking at the slightly meaner blue-masked turtle "age is a good look you,"

"Where were you Raphael?" snarled Leo "Everything that's happened is because of you,"

With that said, Leonardo tossed up his hand, throwing Raph back his sais. The harsh clang of metal could be heard when they both landed on the floor, just inches from Raphael's feet. Picking up his weapons, Raphael looked down on them almost ashamed. These weapons were a product of what a true hero could be, he no longer felt so brave.

"Leo, guys, forgive me" said Raph, almost on the verge of tears " I don't know what I've done. None of this should even be happening. I vow I'll do whatever I can to make this right,"

"Let us hope that will be best" said Leo " for all futures concerned,"


	3. Chapter 3: Broken Brotherhood

**Ch.3: Broken Brotherhood**

There was no sleep on the first night for Raphael, at least, not a comfortable sleep. Being trapped in an apocalyptic timeline could do that to a person, especially when that person knew that the terror being caused was mostly his fault.

Giving up on getting a good night's rest, Raphael stood up from his rag of a bed and decided to walk around the compound. He had been given a short tour of the place after he had agreed to help, learning all the info on what he had missed from Mike and Donnie.

Leo barely hung around the tour, and when it was suppertime, the blue-masked turtle barely spoke at all. Raphael had this dreary feeling that Leo didn't really like him anymore, for what reason, and there were lots currently, he didn't know, but he wasn't gonna push to find out.

Suddenly, Raphael was snapped out of his thoughts when his foot stumbled across something lying in his path.

"Ow! What the…?" said Raph, and then stopped, the frustrated question dying on his lips as he picked up and looked at what had almost tripped him.

It was one Donnie's more troublesome inventions, the Personality Alternator. Both Leo and Raphael had been unfortunate genii pigs for this little gizmo. When Leo was hit, he became totally carefree, not caring about danger while there were better things to do, like having fun.

Raph didn't even want to think about the time he had spent under its influence. Being stuck as Mr. Nice Guy, and then politely standing by as his brothers were nearly torn apart by their worst fears in a psycho therapist's trap. Not many happy memories from this little machine.

"So why is it here?" thought Raphael, looking over the device " Unlike everything else around here, it doesn't seem to be damaged."

Sparks suddenly drew Raphael's attention to a nearby room, which from the tour, Raph remembered being Donatello's new lab. What was the purple-masked turtle doing up this time of night? Raphael shrugged his shoulders and went to find out.

Walking into the lab, Raphael found exactly what you would except in any scientist's home, messes of lab equipment spread out as far as the eye could see. Working from a beaten table was focused Donatello, tinkering the welds of piece of metal when Raph came in to interrupt his work.

"Late night project Don?" asked Raph, making the turtle drop his blowtorch.

"Raph?" asked Donatello surprised, removing his welding mask " What are you doing here?"

"Couldn't sleep" said Raphael, taking seat in a clear area " it's hard to catch z's in an alternate timeline you know?"

"I know" said Don, putting down his tools " can't say I've ever experienced it first hand, but we've been to some pretty amazing places,"

"Yeah" said Raph cautiously " looks you saved a lot of stuff from the lair, I guess this I why I found this lying outside,"

"The Personality Alternator?" asked Donatello confused, as he took the device from Raph " I don't remember bringing it up here."

"You sure about that?" asked Raph " There's a lot of junk in this lab,"

"I'm sure of it" said Don, seriously " and it's not junk, it's science! Maybe Leo or Mikey brought it here. We kind of split up for awhile when Master…um…,"

The genius's hesitation was not lost to his red-banded brother, and green eyes immediately shot towards Donatello. Face turning to a grimace, Raphael glared at Donatello.

"What…what are you telling me Donnie?" asked Raph, the fear rising in his voice " Did something happen to Master Splinter?!"

"Raph trust me" said Don, reluctantly " you don't want to…"

"Did it Donnie?!" shouted Raph.

"Heh" sighed Don, looking towards Raphael " I wish there was another way to tell this. After we escaped Chu-Lan the first time, our goal was to come up with a plan to stop him and maybe figure out what he did to you. The plan didn't go well. Chu-Lan was planning to revive his father, and in the process of trying to stop him, Master Splinter's life was lost. Leo was the closest to see him…crushed in the claws of the King."

"We had barely put a dent in Chu-Lan so it was unlikely we were gonna take down his father. We regrouped here to come up with a plan to stop them both, but Splinter's death hit us all to hard. Leo left first, and then Mikey. Mike found Casey still alive and started helping rid the drones off the streets while I stayed here to work. Hana eventually got us back together saying that she might of found a solution at last, the Turnstone."

"Turnstone?" asked Raphael.

"I don't know what it is either" said Don " Hana just discovered it a few days ago. It's supposed to be a powerful stone with some of mystic mojo that can send the King and Chu-Lan away for good."

"What's Leo think of this?" asked Raph, curious to his leader's opinion.

"I don't think he thinks they really can be stopped" said Don, with a sigh " when Splinter died, Leo changed, probably for good."

* * *

Meanwhile, unknown to the two turtles chatting in the lab, Leonardo also sat awake, perched on a pedestal outside the compound, staring into the dark red skies above. Even at night the sky remained red, a color that Leo was rapidly beginning to hate.

In those dark clouds, there was nothing but the constant reminder of death and betrayal. The echoes failure softly rang through Leo's ears, and his fists clenched with uncontrollable rage.

"Raphael!" shouted Leo out into the redness "This is all your fault! And I will make you pay!"


	4. Chapter 4: Raiding The Fortress

**Ch.4: Raiding The Fortress**

The morning in the new world was just as intense as the day before. Joining his brothers in the main room for a meager breakfast of whatever they could find, Raphael immediately braced himself for the worst. Dumpster diving, yum yum!

Doing his best not to throw up seeing a black and green slice of pizza, Raphael looked over to Leo and was about to ask what plans were for today when Hana the witch suddenly stomped in seeming excited and worried.

"Hana what is it?" asked Donatello.

"I've finally uncovered the location of the Turnstone" said Hana " we can use it to end this mess."

"Alright!" cheered Mikey, excited.

"Someone want to bring me up to speed here?" asked Raph " What exactly is this Turnstone?"

"A legendary artifact of unimaginable power" said Hana " able to bend reality to its will. Possessing this magical sphere will allow us to change everything we see around us, and now I know where it is,"

"Where is it?" asked Leo.

"Buried deep under the King's fortress,"

* * *

"So that's home sweet home huh?" joked Raphael as he and his brothers gathered outside the large black, pointed palace. Fire danced in its windows as the wind wailed and screamed outside, sending shivers up the turtles shells.

"Definitely a perfect candidate for Haunted Houses Monthly," said Don " Are we sure the Turnstone is in there?"

"If it is" said Leo " it's going to be a challenge to get it out. I say we split up into teams. Don, you keep in contact with Hana and Casey. Who knows when we'll need their help for this,"

"Right" said Don, nodding then grabbed for his youngest brother " Come on Mikey, let's go,"

With that said, the two turtles departed, leaving Raph and Leo alone. After watching his brothers leave, Raph turned to face Leo. The blue-masked turtle didn't seem entirely thrilled on who Donnie had picked to leave with him.

"Why is he so mad at me?" thought Raphael, staring at his brother.

Little did he know, he would soon find out.

* * *

"Okay" said Don, as Mikey finished taking out the last Soulless on the West side " now I can open up the gate for us and Casey to go through. Hana should be shadowing Leo and Raph,"

With that said, the purple-masked turtle made his way over to the gate controls and lifted up the door wide, creating a hole in the fortress.

"Okay Casey" called Mikey " you can come out now,"

"Finally" said Casey, emerging behind a pile of rocks, hockey sticks in hand " Time's run out for this lawbreaker, right now!"

Unleashing a rebel yell of 'Goongala!', Casey charged in with Don and Mikey following close on his heels.

The inside of the fortress was just as gothic as the rest. Frozen stills of angry, black gargoyles jutted out of the walls. A huge crater lay in the center of the chamber rimmed with teeth-like purple stones. And a throne stood in the far back of the room, with the souls of the Soulless adorning it like gems.

The king and Chu-Lan were nowhere to be seen, but that didn't mean things were going to be as easy as they looked. Willing to take the risk of inviting the demons wrath, the trio stepped out and began to explore.

"Wow" said Mikey, as he and the others approached the crater in the floor " Look at that thing! I wonder how far it goes?"

"If I had to guess" said Donatello " it looks like it leads straight to the Underworld where Chu-lan and his dad first came from,"

"Freaky" said Mikey " So now what do we do?"

"We're gonna try out the new Soulless formula I've been working on" said Don " It's still experimental, but it should work. Hopefully it will cure everyone who has been infected by this darkness,"

"Then what are we standing around for?!" said Casey, jumping into the crater " Let's end this!"

With that said, Don and Mikey followed the path of their reckless friend, and jumped down into the fiery pit. The sinister glow of giant red eyes watched them from afar, shielded in the shadows.

* * *

Meanwhile, over with Leonardo and Raphael, the two turtles found themselves infiltrating the stadium on the East wing of the King's palace. The stadium had become the final fate for many humans when the world fell to flames. Leo remembered this horrible place all to well, for this is where Splinter had died.

Grinding his fists in anger as the memories of the past swirled in his head, Leo stood in the center of the ring seething as Raphael explored the rest of the stadium, looking for their target.

Spotting a door that may be useful, Raphael was about to call out to Leo about his find, when suddenly the whole ground started to shake and the center of the stadium exploded outward, sending Leonardo flying twenty feet into the air.

The blue-masked hard on the right side of the field, his shell saving him from the most damaging of impact. Running to his injured brother, Raph made his way over quickly to help, but stopped suddenly when a familiar figure emerged from the hole, sporting the same black and white armor that still haunted Raphael in his dreams.

"Crimelord," growled Raph, narrowing his eyes in recognition.

"So glad you too Raphael" said Crimelord, looking at the red-masked turtle " I've been waiting for this chance. But you may call me Chu-lan, since that is my true name,"

"I don't care what name it is!" yelled Raph " You turned me into a villain and wrecked everything I cared about! Why would you do that?!"

"Why?" said Chu-lan, as if it was obvious " Because I owed you a very special debt. You may not know it, but you're the one who made this whole future possible. Shall I demonstrate?"

With that said, a dark mist suddenly rose out from Chu-lan's hand and ensnared Raphael in its binding grip. Although the red-masked turtle struggled, he could not break himself of the ever-growing black cocoon. Half his body was soon covered, then only the head remained. Sending one last glare over at Chu-lan, the darkness completely covered Raphael's eyes, and the turtle was lost to the dark void.


	5. Chapter 5: Sins of An Error

**Ch.5: Sins of An Error**

"Uh" spoke Raphael wearily as his eyes fluttered open to a bare, concrete sidewalk " Wha…Where…I'm back in New York?"

Indeed, he was no longer within the dark confines of the stadium and stood in the city, but not the same city he remembered seeing for the past few days.

Normal humans walked through the streets, with not a single Soulless in sight. Cars zoomed up and down, and the building appeared pristine. Raphael's mind was deeply confused as he tried to decode the meaning of the last few hours.

He and Leo were out searching for the Turnstone when Chu-lan suddenly appeared. Mocking Raph in his Crimelord guise, the villain trapped the turtle in a dark cocoon of energy.

"But why would he send me here?" thought Raphael, looking around. And when a person suddenly walked straight through him he was really confused. " And why am I a ghost?"

Before he could ponder these thoughts further, a startled yell suddenly caught Raph's ear, and the red-masked turtle turned just in time to see two creep robbers running up the street, bags of loot in their hands.

"After them!" shouted out a voice that shocked Raphael.

Four figures were chasing after the two robbers, but not just any four, his four. Raph and his brothers were chasing the thieves!

"This is crazy!" yelled Raph, holding his head " I'm in the past!"

After his brothers and then himself ran right through him, Raphael followed the chase and ran in with the turtles as the robbers dived into a museum. The shocking familiarity of the situation came back to Raphael even now.

This was the same robbery case that had occurred when Splinter's witch friend came to visit the town. The robbers dealt in fetching anything they could haggle for a good price, and made the mistake of stealing some of Hana's magical tools.

Worst of all was Hana's spell-book, that held the antidote for putting both Don and Mikey's minds back into their proper bodies. The witch had cast a spell on them while they were having an argument, and it was weird seeing the genius of the group libbing like surfer dude on a tropical day.

"There they go!" called Leo, pointing his swords " Don! Mikey! Cut off their escape!"

"Got it dude!" said Mike from Don's body, and then leaped up into the air with his bo.

Thrusting hard, the long, wooden pole rammed into one supports holding up an airborne display, causing it to break loose and crash to the ground, blocking the crooks nearest escape.

"Can I get a beat?" said Don in Mikey's body, standing over a pile of Roman shields.

Grinning wickedly with the nunchuck's in his hands, the currently orange-masked turtle twirled the weapons against the ancient metal, creating quite a powerful sound to spread out through the room.

His brothers and the robbers instantly felt the need to cover their ears, sparing the torment from hearing this unearthly noise. Gritting his teeth through the pain, Raphael watched as the other him turned his gaze back on the robbers. The noise Donnie was making may have slowed them down, but they weren't about to give up yet.

Taking off in different directions, the two robbers split up in the museum. Don and Mikey took off after the one that ran left, while their brothers followed the one that went right. Figuring it was better if he stuck with himself, Raphael followed Leo and his twin as they raced into the medieval room.

The whole exhibit was pitch dark, with only a small skylight shedding beams to illuminate several suits of armor that stood along the walls. Signaling for them to be quiet, Leo and the other Raph split up to search the room, being careful not to alert the robber that anyone was near.

Raphael watched as his past self walked over to a dragon statue in the corner, while Leo approached a weapon's rack behind a stand of knights. On the weapons, almost every medieval weapon you expected to see was on display except one missing piece. A mace lay forgotten from one rack hook.

Unfortunately for Leo, that mace now held a new owner, and Raphael's eyes widened with fear as he watched one of the armored suits suddenly come alive, aiming the weapon at his brother's head.

"Leo, look out!" cried Raphael, even though he knew he couldn't possibly be heard.

Before the blue-masked turtle could even blink, the robber dressed up inside the suit, swung down hard with the mace, knocking Leo out cold. The past Raphael heard the thump as soon as his brother's body landed on the floor, and fury boiled in eyes as he let loose a howl of rage.

Gripping at his sais, Raph quietly stalked towards the robber as he shredded the armored skin. Noticing the turtle's anger, the robber quickly darted out of the room, with Raph following, twirling his deadly sais.

The robber only made it as far as Ancient Japan before the ghost version of Raphael saw his past self catch up and drop kick the criminal into the side of a temple. More kicks and blows were unleashed, pain emitting with every grunt. Raphael couldn't believe how frightening he had become, nothing but pure hate gleamed from his body.

Releasing one last kick, Raph slammed the criminal into a pedestal where a vase stood tall and proud, before crashing to the floor unleashing a dark mist. The red-masked turtle barely paid the event heed, focused on just finishing the job.

Until Mikey and Donnie finally came, after having just caught the second crook, did they grab their brother and help him calm down did the chase finally come to its end.

* * *

The vision from the museum changed, and Raphael found his ghost-like body move into the stable set of the sewers. He was home now, along with brothers, exhausted from the strain of previous events. Mike and Don were back into their proper bodies, and along with Leo they were watching some kind of show on TV.

"What a memory" Raphael sighed to himself " but what exactly does this have to do about Chu-lan?"

"Eh!" yawned Leo, spreading out his arms "Time for bed guys, let's move,"

"What about Raph?" asked Mike as he turned off the TV.

"He's still in bed Mikey" said Don " after his burst of rage today he'll likely be out for quite a while,"

Without another word the three turtles retired to their beds, and Raphael walked over to his quarters to see how his past self was doing. Looking down, Raphael could tell that the turtles face was strained. The red-masked reptile seemed completely uncomfortable after that last fight, and although he couldn't actually feel it, Raphael could tell there was something darker to the atmosphere of the room.

Gold eyes widened in amazement as Raphael suddenly saw the ghostly form of Chu-lan hover above the sleeping turtle's body, grinning down in his evil glare.

"So" said Chu-lan " you are the one who set me free. Raphael, you're greatest wish is now in my command. Hahaha!"

And with that the spirit disappeared, and Raphael felt his ghost form pull away from his past body, gasping hard to awaken in the ruins of future air.

* * *

"Uh," groaned Raphael, as his senses were brought back to reality.

The shadows that Chu-lan had trapped him in pulled away, allowing the eeriness of the stadium to be shown once more.

"I…I don't understand" said Raphael, peering up at the demon who was still in his Crimelord guise. Leo was still unconscious on the other side of the ring. " I freed you?"

"Yes" said Chu-lan " and the moment you did a pact was formed. In return for my freedom, my mission was to make your darkest desire come true. You wished for a more challenging foe, so Crimelord was created to grant that wish, and with a few tweaks, I planned to make it reality,"

"What do you mean?" growled Raphael.

"Nah uh uh" said Chu-lan " that would be spoiling the rest of the plot. It's time for the final stage to be unleashed. Leonardo, rise and destroy Raphael,"

The unconscious Leo suddenly awakened, drawing out his swords as a fierce aura of black flames danced around him. His blue eyes were as cold as stone, and Raphael felt his soul shiver in fear.

The brother he had once known was lost, swallowed by the dark rage boiling within. He was nothing more than a soldier now, a soldier driven by hate.


	6. Chapter 6: The Scars of Hate

**Ch.6: The Scars of Hate**

Raphael didn't know how to react as he nervously gripped his sais, and stared straight into the soulless eyes that had once belonged to his brother. Nothing but pure hatred could be felt penetrating from those orbs.

Leonardo poised his swords, and lay posed in his stance, ready to lash out and attack as soon as Crimelord gave the word. The demon nodded down at the field, and Leo attacked.

Raphael fended off the assault as best as he could. For fifteen years he had trained alongside Leo and studied his techniques, searching for openings so that he could one day beat his leader in a spar. But Leo was Splinter's most hardworking student, and even Raph tried as hard as he could, there was no way he could ever reach Leo's skill.

"Guess that's why I only was the star in six episodes," Raph thought, blocking a blow from a sword with his sai.

The Leo he battled against now was definitely not the same he fought with during those spars. He was aggressive, ruthless, slicing with anger like a mad man gone wild. This was a turtle set to kill.

Raphael was familiar with the beast that Leo had become. He had battled that same monster every day, whenever he felt the slightest hint of rage. His joking manner was a facade to cover up all the discomfort boiling within. It helped his emotions heal, but it barely conquered the beast.

"You betrayed us Raphael!" yelled Leo, slicing with his swords, as his brother dodged and blocked " Betrayed us all! It's your fault Splinter is dead! It's your fault that the future is the way it is!"

"What are you talking about?" asked Raph, deflecting another " How could I want any of this to happen?!"

"It's your fault Raph!" said Leo, halting his assault for a sec " Chu-lan said it himself. Years ago, after he revealed he was Crimelord, Chu-lan explained how you were one who broke the seal on his prison. That you wished for all this to happen to our world."

"Your wish caused us all nothing but pain. We had to stop these monsters before they destroyed the whole world. Splinter died trying to correct your mistake. You can't understand all of the grief Mikey, Don, and I have suffered, that's why I made a deal with him! Sacrifice one my brothers in order to bring our Sensei back."

"Mikey and Don I could never force myself to kill. But you Raph…fate is fortunate. You shall fulfill that price!"

And with that said, Leo resumed his attack.

* * *

Meanwhile, inside the fiery caverns located beneath the foreboding fortress, the team of Don, Mike, and Casey continued to bring the Soulless back to their regular human selves. The flames groaned and twirled, while whispering eddies died on the wind.

The whole place was like a scene from the scariest of horror flicks. An endless abyss waiting to swallow every one of its victims whole.

"I think we're getting close to the Soulless mines," said Don.

"I'd say so" said Mikey, pointing downward " look,"

With that said, all three gazed down to see the see the sleek black forms of hundreds of Soulless prowling around back and forth, digging out tunnels for labor for the King that now ruled them.

"Your serum going to work on all of these?" asked Casey.

"I hope so" said Donnie " let's get closer and find out,"

That said, all of them creeped closer to the Soulless working the mines. Their red eyes glowed fierce and bright, and Mikey had to hide the shiver slowing surging up his shell. These were their friends, comrades once, people they saved, how could anyone ever imagine that their fates would come to this?

Donatello instantly prepared his serum, loading it into a small capsule gun he brought along, and aimed it at one of the Soulless. Without resting the trigger finger, Donatello fired, and the Soulless let out a screech of pain.

It wriggled and writhed as if in agony from burns. The other Soulless stopped and turned, staring at their comrade as if he had completely lost his mind. Inside his own thoughts, Donatello prayed hard, begging for his serum to work.

There was a flash, and a last scream as the Soulless thrived. As the flash disappeared, all eyes were preyed on the Soulless, excited for the outcome.

The hopeful smiles that lit Don, Mikey, and Casey's faces fell at the final result. The Soulless remained as it was, a human being still transformed, forbidden from ever living a normal life again.

"It didn't work," said Don in defeat.

Mikey was about to move in to comfort his brother, when an eerily pleased voice spoke up, shocking them all.

"A valiant effort from the rebel tide, but I grow tired of the games we find ourselves in. Someone more interesting has just dropped into my court, and I plan to meet him before my son tortures him to death. So you three, shall be gone."

And with that said, dark flames gobbled up the last of the refuges, burning out their souls from within. Misformed, smoky husks were left behind, newborn as Soulless to serve under the King.

* * *

Back inside the arena, things were going downhill in the fight between Leo and Raphael. The red-masked turtle breathed heavily as he nursed the numerous cuts and bruises that had been inflicted on him by Leo's swords. He had only threw a few counter jabs back during the fight, refusing to die easily while at the same time, trying not to kill.

No matter how crazy his brother had now become, Raphael refused to kill someone he had once known and loved throughout his entire life.

"I refuse to kill my brother!" Raph yelled in his mind "I won't let Crimelord win this way!"

But Leo had no such feelings as mercy, and when he spotted weakness posing through Raphael's stance he struck. Launching out with a harsh kick, Leo knocked Raphael back, and then sacked him with a punch to the ground.

His foot planted on top of Raphael's chest, preventing the red-masked turtle from moving, as he pointed a sword to his throat. The gleaming metal reflected back Raphael's golden eyes, and the red-masked turtle gasped at the image of his own fear. This was the final moment now. This was how he was destined to die.

Raphael closed his eyes, ready for the end, as Leonardo swung his sword down to kill. Silence gripped the air, and Raph lay confused as to why he felt no fire bubbling up from his chest. Had Leo changed his mind and decided not to do the deed?

The answer came to his eyes with a 'no'. Leo had not held back his sword, the blade was inches away from his chest, but something else there was blocking it. Three Soulless hands that once belonged to Mikey, Don, and Case.

"What?" called Leo, surprised.

"Hahaha" laughed out an evil voice as dark mist formed right next to Crimelord " I see you have been busy here my son,"

"Father," gasped Crimelord, instantly going into a bow.

"But the time for tricks is over," continued the King, and with that said the three Soulless pounced upon Leo and held him down.

"No! Stop!" cried Leo, struggling to break free "Chu-lan! We had a deal!"

"Plans change turtle" said Chu-lan, glaring at Leo through his Crimelord 'guise " it's a demon's world now."

"Nooo!" cried Leo, as the three Soulless dragged him down into hell.

Raphael could hardly believe his eyes as he watched his brother disappear, painful tears stung at his heart. With fierce eyes glared up at the King and Chu-lan, wanting to the rip the two to shreds.

"So Raphael" said the King, firing down a sneer as he took his true form to face Raphael " we meet at last. I have waited for this moment a long time."

With that said, the King pointed down his staff towards the turtles, and his gold eyes swirled. Darkness came in an instant to Raphael's thoughts, and his mind was lost to the shadows.


	7. Chapter 7: The King's Temptations

**Ch.7: The King's Temptations**

A few minutes later, Raphael reawoke to consciousness, holding his head with a groan. The moments of the past few hours flashed quickly through his mind, as his eyes refocused to his surroundings, seeing that he was in the King's throne room.

Chu-lan was back in his normal demonic state, while the King stood out like a horned jackal, gripping tightly onto his staff.

Forcing himself to stand up, Raph found it strange that it felt like his whole body was heavier somehow. When he looked close at his body however, he figured out the reason why.

All of the Crimelord armor that had framed Chu-lan when he was in disguise, now coated Raphael from head to toe, in all of its menacing glory.

"Wha…" asked Raphael, hardly believing his own sight " What's going on?"

"Raphael" said the King " I have waited a long time for us to meet. Chu-lan has told me much about your desires."

"Why?" asked Raphael, finding the strength to speak again " Why are you doing this to me?"

"To fulfill your wish what else?" said Chu-lan " This is what you asked for Raphael."

"No" said Raph, enraged " I never wished for any of this."

"You have" said the King " you just don't understand from where. This is type of world you crave. What Chu-lan made sure to achieve. Fate's judgment has been passed Raphael, this is your destiny."

Was the King right? Was this truly destined to become his fate? A heartless overseer ruling a shattered world.

Images flashed through Raphael's mind, each more troublesome than the last. Through them he could see the times where he was the happiest with his family; playing with his brothers, and training with Splinter, as if nothing could go wrong.

Through all of the flashbacks, the King's voice spoke out, asking Raphael to surrender and rule by his side, for he had found a worthy heir. Disturbed, Raphael was about to agree to such a term when a memory of Splinter passed through his mind.

It had been during one of their training sessions, when Raphael had started cursing their seemingly endless fate.

"_I can't really see the point of fighting anymore" said Raphael " Every time we battle, something new comes up. You can't change fate."_

"_But" said Splinter, putting a hand on Raphael's shoulder " you can change its course. Good and evil will always exist Raphael, but fate is constantly changing. It only stops when you believe it is impossible for it to continue on in its path."_

"Splinter's right" Raphael thought in his mind, bringing everything back to reality " If I believe this where my fate ends, this will be the destiny of this world. But I won't allow that to happen."

And suddenly, all the Crimelord armor that plated Raphael's body glowed and disappeared, leaving back in his normal, green ninja turtle self. Both the King and Chu-lan were shocked.

"Rah!" growled the King " You reject the gifts that we've given you?"

"You bet I do pal" said Raph, twirling out his sais " it's time to end this nightmare,"

With that said Raphael charged.

"Chu-lan attack!" ordered the King, his son instantly lashing towards the red-masked turtle.

Raphael however wasn't fazed, dodging and sometimes countering through Chu-lan's strikes. The demon practically roared out in rage when none of his blows could land a single, and Raph edged closer to his dad.

Eyes focused onto the glowing orb upon the King's staff, Raph jumped over Chu-lan's tail when he threw it down, and grabbed, holding on tight, to the orb at the tip of the staff.

"White, humming..." observed Raphael as he held onto the orb " could this possibly be?"

"Get off of there!" commanded the King, reaching out his claw to grab Raph.

Raph instantly saw the danger coming, held tighter, closed his eyes, and wished desperately upon the stone. A white glare overtook the whole chamber, and the dreariness of the palace seemed to fade and swirl.

Time was going backwards, giving Raphael another chance at fate, and this time, he would sure things would get better before the worse.


	8. Chapter 8: To Turn Fate

**Ch.8: To Turn Fate**

For a long moment, Raphael could feel his body plunging through the time stream, falling backwards to a place where he hoped fate would be changed. All of the dread Raphael had picked up from the future still flashed through his mind when he traveled back.

"None of that is going to happen!" thought Raph, determinedly " Not now, not ever."

Suddenly, as if someone in the audience had cruelly hit pause, Raphael's journey through the time tunnel stopped, leaving the red-masked turtle confused.

"Wha…what's going on now?" Raphael asked.

The turtle soon received his answer when a bright flash appeared, quickly transforming into a beautiful, long-haired woman with a silver-white robe. Her locks were the color of shining gold, and her eyes shone bright like sapphires. Raphael awed at this amazing figures beauty for just a moment before his mouth could finally formulate in words.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"I am Fate" answered the woman " You have come to change your course?"

"Yes" said Raph " but how did you know?"

"I know all " said Fate " every future path all creatures may take. Through me, the King could see those futures as well, trapping me in the Turnstone."

"What do you mean?" asked Raph.

"Let me explain…," said Fate, and raised up her hand, creating a viewing screen that would generate images as she explained her tale.

"Before time began, there lived a great entity with many servants, a master of all realities and worlds. His power was like no other, and I and the King, before he became evil, humbly bowed before him."

"Then, as the master was in the process of constructing another universe, he looked down upon his servants and told us that he would choose one to rule over the fates of these new worlds. The King desperately wanted that power, and did everything he could to gain it, through vile means."

"Angered that this was extremely against our code as servants, I stood up to the King and beat him in mystical combat. It was weary fight, but I was well rewarded, for the master chose to give me all the power and renamed me Fate. A special stone was given to me as well, so I could see the paths of all futures, and help guide creatures through life properly."

"For his cruel actions, the King was sealed away for his crimes, banished to rule and live in darkness forever. He thrived in the shadows, and eventually spawned Chu-lan, who somehow managed to find single tear within the void, and escape to the Earth plain."

"Chu-lan was furious over his father's disgrace, and sought vengeance against me, reigning terror upon Mexico. With the help of a local bruja, who would later become friends with Hamato Yoshi, I managed to seal Chu-lan away in an ancient clay vase, and buried it where hopefully it would never be found."

"After that fateful battle, the years passed before my eyes as some creatures died, and others were born. I became quite interested in four, mutant turtles that had suddenly appeared in New York to keep scum off the streets, and peered into all their futures closely."

"However, one day as I was delving into your future Raphael, something disturbed the balance, and all the images became dark and horrid. I backed away in shock, and suddenly Chu-lan appeared, free from his prison, and he stole the TurnStone."

"The TurnStone was an important focusing device for my powers, and I had to get it back. Knowing it was foolish, I traveled into the Underworld, and got sealed away by the King. With my powers now under his command, he sealed the fate of one of my chosen so that he would be free again."

"Me" said Raph, getting the point, as the cloudy screen faded away " He sealed my fate."

"Yes" said Fate " but you held faith that the path could change course, and for that, I owe you my freedom."

With that said, the TurnStone suddenly appeared in Fate's hands, and the red-masked turtle looked upon the glowing orb in wonder.

"You shall get your second chance Raphael" said Fate " be warned of the future you face."

A bright light vividly flashed, causing Raphael to close at the intent. When the glare finally phased, Raph glanced around in surprise to find himself back in the medieval wing of the New York museum, with Leo talking about the robbers who had stolen Hana's book.

"He's in here somewhere Raph" said Leo, looking briefly at his brother " come on, let's split up and look."

"Split up?" Raphael thought , as Leo made his way over to where the suits of armor stood. "What did Fate...,"

Raphael stopped his thoughts instantly and shouted out to his bro.

"Leo, look out!"

Stopping at his brother's call, Leo looked up just in time to see one of the armored suits swinging a mace right towards his head. Quickly, Leo dodged the mace's path, and he drew out his swords, ready to face another attack.

Raphael yelled and tried to take down the armored crook as he turned to face his bro, but the crook was alerted by Raphael's scream, and he threw his mace towards the turtle, forcing him to duck.

Leo charged in next with his blades, barely making a dent in the armor the crook wore. Grabbing a whip from another display, the crook shot out the lash, twining Leo's legs with its coil, and then pulled back causing the turtle to stumble and crash into a stack of tapestry's.

An ancient tapestry fell down on Leo, covering the sore turtle with its shroud.

Mad at seeing what happened to his brother, Raphael charged at the false knight, barely missing with his sai. The crook laughed at Raph's strike, and then sprinted out of the room. Raphael followed after him, into the Ancient Japan wing.

"No, not this place again," thought Raph in his mind, suddenly aware of the danger about to occur.

Not far away, on the temple display, Chu-lan's jar stood just like it had before, whole and silent, masking the evil deity that dwelled inside. This was Fate's true meaning by a second chance.

"I can't let that jar break" thought Raphael, turning his attention back on locating the crook " no matter what."

Silence gripped the room as Raphael searched, sais out, ready to attack. Where did that crook go? He had to be in one of these displays, but where?

A sudden shiver caused Raph to suddenly leap out and dodge, barely avoiding being sliced in half with a samurai sword. Quickly, the turtle turned to face the robber, wielding the deadly weapon in his hand.

Blade clashed blades as the two foes fought, and although Raphael was pretty sure that the robber didn't possess any ninja skill, he was still a pretty tough foe to beat.

Calling upon all the knowledge he had gained while sparring with Leo, Raphael countered back nearly all of the crook's strikes, barely noticing that they had started to ascend the temple steps, growing closer to the jar of Chu-lan.

When he finally noticed what was happening, Raphael went from attack mode to defense, blocking from their process for ever getting closer to that jar. It only a few feet behind his shell now, mockingly laughing that the future he saw couldn't be beat.

"I can't give in!" thought Raph, as the crook pressed in his attack.

And then, by all means, a miracle appeared, as Leo, Mikey, and Don all ran into the room to help Raphael out.

With four against one, the tide was quickly turned, and the last crook went down, his arms and legs tied tightly afterward with ancient samples of Japanese silk.

Raphael beamed a big smile of relief when the cops finally showed up, turning his gaze over to Chu-lan's jar for moment, happy to see it was untouched.

"Alright!" said Mikey, pumping his fist in the air, as the cops hauled away their catch " The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles strike again! Nothing can beat us Bros!"

"Agreed," said Leo.

"Absolutely," said Don.

"Raph?" queried Leo, when he noticed his red-masked brother was silent.

"Right," said Raph, joining in, pumping up his fist with his bros.

"Cowabunga!" they all shouted.

And through their shouts, the ghostly form of Fate looked down and smiled, carrying up the jar of Chu-lan while the four celebrated. The threat of the dark future was finally gone, for Raphael discovered his true path.

**The End**


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